King of Thieves
by Eissi
Summary: What if the Hero of Time turned to a path of crime after his good deeds to Hyrule? Set four years after the events of OoT, and how Link became the King of all thieves. How a certain princess discovers his secret, and yet fights to retain what friendship they have left, and perhaps even manage save his neck from the gallows. (cover art: deviantart: lian-ne ) (not entirely canon)
1. The Beginning

_Destiny, as one would call it, is a strange thing. To this day I am not certain if the Goddesses have plans for everyone, or just for a few "lucky" chosen ones. Either way, destiny has almost become like a bad word for me._

_Just hearing it makes me want to hit something… But I'm getting off track here. I want to tell you a story. A story of how I completed the tasks set to me by the Goddesses, and was suddenly hit with the notion that for once, for the first time in my life, I could do whatever I wanted. This is the story of how the "Hero of Time" became the King of Thieves. This is the story… of my freedom from fate._

_…Shall we begin?_

**-CHAPTER ONE- **

The crisp morning air was thicker than usual, as fog rolled over the hills from the sea. It hung in the air, as silent as the lone figure riding slowly through the countryside. After a while, he slowed the horse down to a stop, looking around as he let the creature graze for it's breakfast in peace. The boy jumped down and lowered his hood with a sigh.

Hyrule. It had been too long.

A certain incident with a masked menace had recently led to quite the adventure, and far, far away from home. Wherever that was, nowadays.

Clear blue eyes, that would normally be so much brighter at such a young age, slowly took in the lush green surroundings. They were colder than they used to be. Saving the world twice from certain doom at the age of 10 will do that to a person. Now those eyes were more guarded, calculating.

It would be clear to any who looked upon him that he had seen much hurt in the world. Those eyes belonged to none other than the Hero of Time himself... a boy by the name of Link.

The hero was finding himself lost in more ways than one. His experience with saving Hyrule from Ganondorf had scarred him, but then he had been sent back in time for good. He was told that he should recover and relive the years of his youth that were so cruelly ripped from his lifetime. It sounded good enough, but there was a catch.

Since the Sages had sent him back to a time where the war never happened, no one but him and the Sages remembered it. He had saved everyone, yes, but there would be no glory or praise. To the world he was just a young boy from the forest, and a friend of the young Princess Zelda. All the other friends he had made, all the things he had suffered. They were all gone, with not even a trace remaining of all his hard work. Not to mention how strange it all was, growing up in a world that looked far more different from the dark and ruined lands he remembered in his mind's eye. He just couldn't stay around them any longer.

So he bid farewell to anyone who cared, and left to search for a long lost friend. It helped ease his mind that he had a goal, something to do with his days… But then he found the land of Termina. A hellish nightmare he would rather forget. He was still not even sure it was real.

_But now what?_ He had spent nearly two years searching for his old companion, with no luck. Perhaps she was dead, or worse, perhaps she was hiding from him. After all, why should a fairy care about him, when he wasn't even a Kokiri.

Darker thoughts had crossed his mind, but they would not do him well.

Perhaps, it _was_ time to move on. Link's entire life up until this point seemed to be planned out for him. He simply had to do what the Goddesses wanted him to do... and now...

Now he had no idea what to do with his life. He felt empty, but at the same time... liberated. For the first time in forever, he felt in control of his own path. And it terrified him. As he watched his faithful horse Epona meander from one grass tuft to another, he got to thinking. What skills did he have that were of use, besides that with his sword and shield?

He briefly remembered an instance where another fairy ally of his, Tatl, had praised him for his stealth. It was a bit of a long story where they had to steal from a vendor in order to get their next meal. He had felt guilty about stealing, but also... exhilarated. If just a little.

He felt a rush he'd never before experienced from the thrill of it all. Back then, he had briefly pondered if he would have made a good thief had his destiny been different. He'd never really imagined himself in such a shady sort of business. Him! The hero of the land! To think of such an occupation… It would put him to shame. But… Did that matter? What good was the honor of his name if no one knew of his deeds? He had been through so much… Following wherever fate seemed to lead him, not always to his best pleasure. Fate never seemed to lead him somewhere nice or safe or happy. It was always trouble that called him. It was almost like trouble was constantly surrounding him, and up till now, he had thought the only reason for that was so he could solve those troubles. That was his destiny, wasn't it?

_Well, now that legendary "destiny" was over,_ he thought bitterly. The Goddesses didn't seem to have any more need of him... He could do whatever he wanted. And he was not so sure he wanted to go straight back to the life where "the little hero Link" was always _so _willing to help those in need. No one ever cared about _him_. But the more he thought about it, they never really needed him to do more than errands, not counting his battles with actual evil forces of course. He never indulged himself in following his _own _dreams and wants. He had made the choice to put all of them aside, if any, for the sake of the lands that needed his help. They all used him. Well, maybe that should all change. Maybe he should start actually trying for a little self gain. That'd be new, anyway. The boy took a deep breath of the morning air and let it out slowly. _Well why not, right?_ Whatever he did next, was up to him for once.

Filled with this new resolve, Link climbed up on Epona's back and headed away from the forests, and in a southern direction across the vast fields of Hyrule. He was going to learn more, leave his past behind him and become someone completely different from who he was before. A small smile found it's way to his face as he travelled. The excitement he felt at this new goal gave him some sort of direction. It was always the best thing to help keep his mind off of the foul memories of war and ruin that always crept at the edge of his mind. Regardless, he knew exactly where he should head next.

He was going to find a teacher.

**_-time-skip 2 years into the future-_**

Hyrule Castle sat atop a hill at the end of Castle Town, watching over the small city like a silent stone protector. Inside those thick stone walls, the royal family managed the business of the land fairly, doing their best to make sure all their subjects were well and happy.

A certain young Princess had been growing up alone within those walls, learning the ways of her kingdom and her father's rule. One day, she would have to take charge herself. At the age of fourteen, it would only be four more years before she must step up to rule, and... to find someone to marry.

Zelda, in honesty, wasn't too pleased about that last part. She'd shut down any conversations about the matter as soon as they started. She didn't see why she needed a husband to rule with her, but the old laws stayed firm and it was not her decision to make. She resolved not to think too much on it until she had to.

The young noble had met many people over the years, as many people often came to visit the castle. But still she had not forgotten the blond youth she had met four years ago. Though they had not known each other long, the two became fast friends, and when the struggle of seven years had passed and the War that Never Was, was over, she had hoped that he would stay.

But she could see his mind was made up, and she wished him well and gave him a song that reminded her of them. And that was the last time she saw the young hero, and more importantly - her best friend.

**_FWHACK._**

Zelda jumped as the wooden ruler smacked down with such sheer force she was sure the desk must have broken. Either way, she was sure her ears were.

"Princess Zelda! Are you even listening!?" The shrill, high-pitched voice of her teacher rang into her ears and jolted her out from her daydream. Zelda slowly raised her eyes to meet those of her furious tutor and nodded meekly.

"…S-Sorry Professor, I… I'm just a bit tired today…". This, in itself wasn't entirely true. It wasn't that she was suffering from lack of sleep, but 'tired' could be a sufficient word to describe how she had been feeling as of late. Day in, day out, the same routine and the same faces. With the hand that fate had dealt her, she was sure that this would never change. She'd study hard all day, sleep, eat, and all the rest. The only time any of that would change would be when she became old enough to rule. And then she'd only be changing from one routine to a slightly altered one. No excitement, no adventures or stories to be made anywhere outside the castle walls. It was to be that way, until the end of her days. Absolutely enthralling.

"Hmph! Well, be sure not to let me catch you day-dreaming again! Is that clear?" Beady eyes squinted down at her through spectacles, expecting a confirmation of the only answer there was. Zelda nodded again and let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, as the teacher turned back to the black stone wall with her piece of chalk. _Don't let her catch me, huh? Pretty hard to do in a classroom of one…_

As the teacher continued talking on about this and that, Zelda pretended to listen and take notes. In truth, her mind was far away. She glanced out the window at the bright summers day outside. To think, had things been different, none of this would be as it was. There would be no birds singing and flowers blooming, but instead chaos and darkness. If she closed her eyes, she could still picture it. She had tried to forget for her own mental health but, she was sure that sometimes… she could still hear the screams.

**_-oOo-_**

With her lessons finally over, the Princess made her way towards the courtyard. It was where she most liked to sit and relax, lost in thought or memory for all the world. She actually had an interesting book she'd been meaning to read, and this was definitely the best place to do so. A small smile curved her lips as she arrived and found a good spot to sit on some stone steps near the throne room wall. As she was reaching for her book out of her satchel, she heard a sudden shout of anger from behind her. The book lying forgotten now, Zelda stood and wandered over to the window, looking into the throne room where her father stood. His face was twisted into an expression caught between frustration and confusion as he spoke.

"What do you _mean _there's been another robbery!? Just last week the explosive shop's wares were taken without a trace remaining, and you STILL haven't found the thief!?" Her father's voice boomed through the thin glass as she listened. She turned to look as she heard another, calmer voice that belonged to the captain of the guard.

"Thieves, sire. We are sure this time. This has got to be the work of that notorious thief gang that we've heard about. It couldn't have been done by one person. And the amount of supplies that were taken surely couldn't be all for one person either."

"Then what are you doing talking to me about it? If you know who did it, then go arrest them already!"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple sir. The reason this guild has evaded us so long is that no one knows where their hide-out is. Anyone who finds out goes missing, same going for anyone who tries to look for it. Not to mention our information on these criminals is too small to know what we're up against."

"Captain, my people are in a panic. Their businesses are being put at stake, along with their income. You _must _catch these vandals. At the very least, capture one of their members. Perhaps then you could glean some _real_ information, hm?"

"Understood sir. I'll see to it that these villains are captured, and their leader executed for their crimes to the kingdom."

"Good. See that you do." The king sighed and slowly retired to his throne, rubbing his temples as the Captain saluted him and marched from the room.

Zelda paused a moment at the window, taking all the information in. A mysterious band of thieves? If it weren't such a serious situation then she would have jovially thought it sounded a lot like something from her story books. Unfortunately though, this happened to be a real matter with serious and worrying implications. What would this mean for her kingdom? The captain himself didn't seem to know how strong they were in numbers or force, or even their motives. Her mind flitted to the sacred relics and treasures within the castle. Some of them were family treasures, indeed, worth far more in history than they would on the black market. Her thoughts then immediately shifted to the people in the town. If the castle jewels were lost, it would not truly hurt the kingdom, but the people below, whose livelihoods depended on the sale of their wares…

This band of thugs must be stopped. Or else the kingdom and it's people would suffer. From the sound of things they weren't hitting too hard just yet. But with no guards able to stop them, who would deny the chances of these villains training their greedy eyes on grander things.

She slowly stepped away from the glass, her eyes unfocused as she was still lost in thought. She found herself thinking of all sorts of plans to try to catch them or find out their hiding places, before she shook her head, ridding herself of such thoughts. As a Princess, it was not her place to think such dangerous things. It was her place to remain dignified and to let the guards do their jobs as they should, and to not risk peril or interfere. Her place as Princess…

Her eyebrows curved downward into a slight frown. She always secretly disliked her role in life as a future ruler _because _of such boring duties, and here she was scolding herself like her teacher or father would. She may be a Princess, but perhaps there _was _some way that she could help. Perhaps if she made a strategy and shared it with the captain…

No… They'd never take her seriously. She wasn't going to deny this whole business had her terribly curious, and perhaps excited for some slight chance to break away from the dull routine she led, if just a little bit. One would think that after experiencing what she did with the War, she'd be tired of such excitement. But in truth, those events in the past were what truly changed her. Perhaps before the little Princess Zelda had been content with her lot, but ever since she met Link, she found herself craving an adventure of her own. After all, she could wield a weapon well enough, she was skilled with her bow, and wasn't too bad at her magic either. Surely she could protect herself and-

There she went again. Off day-dreaming about danger. Those skills she learnt were for sport and tradition. Someone of her elite would never have to need such violent skills, right? Wrong. If she learnt anything during those Seven Years before, it was that when danger came to her, she could do nothing. Things would not be the same twice, if it should come to it. Zelda shook her head. She was contradicting herself constantly. It couldn't be a good sign for her health.

She sighed and sat back down on the old stone steps, and picked up the book that lay discarded to the side. Zelda leafed through the pages, but none of the words held her interest. All she could think about was the robberies and this mysterious band of crooks. If not for the guards, but for herself, she had to know more. Her curiosity was too great, and her answers too small. She needed to get information herself.


	2. You Know What They Say About Curiousity?

**-CHAPTER TWO-**

The very next day, Zelda had made plans to investigate. She had kept these plans a secret of course, but she suspected her guardian Impa knew something. The Sheikah always found out these things _somehow. _Zelda suspected the Gossip Stones near around the palace tipped her off.

Regardless, the Princess wouldn't let that get in her way. After lunch, she darted up to her quarters to change into a less royal outfit. She had such attire made for whenever she may have need to blend in with the crowd. A dull brown cloak, and a boring looking dress of various earthy green colourations.

She slung her satchel around her shoulder, and sheathed her long dagger at her hip, stashing a much smaller knife into her boot for extra precaution. Impa had been training her with these shorter blades, as they were good for short range combat and lighter than a sword. They seemed to suit her just fine, though… She hoped she wouldn't need it.

When she was ready, Zelda crept down a winding stairwell, through the empty throne room and into the courtyard. From there, it was quite easy to sneak around guards and carry on to the marketplace. Her stealth was unfortunately necessary, as she was rarely allowed outside castle walls without an escort.

Often the guards her father picked out for such a task were dull, bored soldiers who honestly would rather be doing something else. Oh, and they were always very strict, like every waking moment she was in danger or something. No, this was much better. She hardly ever ran into trouble, and it gave her a small taste of freedom to break away from all the rules for a bit.

After a few minutes, she was out of the grounds and heading down a dirt path towards Castle Town. It was always lively here, bustling with colours and chatter, the sound of music from performers constantly competing with the street vendors, shouting their wares to be heard. It was a clash of culture, sound, sights and smells. Far better than spending an afternoon studying in dusty old libraries.

It always brought a smile to her face, seeing everything as it was now. It helped distract her from the mental images of what it had been. Or rather, could have been.

_Oh, right! The investigation… I had almost forgotten… _The Princess looked around and sighed, taking it all in, before getting back into a more serious mindset. _Hm. How could I get some information on this gang… Asking outright would be much to obvious… Perhaps if I…? _Zelda strolled through the market, shaking her head. No, her ideas were too risky and out in the open.

She supposed the best she could do was to go check out one of the more recent crime scenes. A little shop down the end of the street that specialized in explosives and dynamite. The shop had closed temporarily, supposedly because they had been wiped completely dry of supplies to sell.

Zelda hovered around the shop awhile, peeking into the windows and glancing at the ground. She couldn't find a trace of evidence or clues. She sighed, _I guess we don't even know for it sure it was this group…. Could have been anybody._

She kicked at the ground and turned to head back up the street to the market when she thought she spotted something in the corner of her vision. Down a dark side alley, two figures were whispering. They looked quite young, or perhaps just very short. She couldn't help but stop and stare. No matter the age, whispering figures in a dark alley _right _next to a recent crime scene would strike _anyone_ as suspicious.

She lightly stepped closer to the pair and hid behind some crates. It didn't sound like they knew she was there, as their conversation continued without lapse. A few hushed words were heard, followed by a giggle. One was definitely a child, perhaps around the age of seven or eight. Zelda leaned against the crate and listened hard, trying to make the conversation out.

"I'm telling you, he worries too much! So what if we went a little overboard in grabbing the loot? The store keeper will just stock more anyhow."

An older sounding voice snapped in reply. "Not if he goes out of business completely ya idiot! Look, it doesn't matter now. We grabbed that pouch that _you _so clumsily dropped here. I know you're new an' all… But we're professionals 'ere. The real deal. And professionals _don't_ make mistakes tha' give' 'em away! Got it?"

A soft sigh drifted in the short silence that followed. "Right. Got it, sorry. Jeez. I won't do it again '_oh my noble superior'. _Can we just go home now?"

A frustrated (and slightly offended) huff sounded from the second kid. "Fine. Let's head back, before the King gets mad."

"I've never seen him get mad. He seems like such a calm guy…"

"That's jus' it, newbie. He's a master of th' 'quiet fury'. Trust me when I say you do **not **wanna be on the receivin' end o' that. All the more reason to head back to base as soon as possible. I can't believe you dragged me all the way out here to get that pouch, it was supposed t' be mah day off."

"Sorry. I was worried I'd get lost again. It's still kinda hard to remember which rock in the field is the passage-way one."

Another drawn out sigh. "I keep tellin' ya, it's the one shaped like a sleepin' wolf. Remember it well, 't may save yer scrawny little neck some day. Now let's go."

Zelda's mouth had silently formed an "O" shape as she listened. This was sounding exactly like what she had been looking for. A lead, a couple of suspects, and a potential location to boot! Despite the pair talking in hushed tones (for the most part), almost none of it had evaded her good hearing. _Hylian ears; designed to supposedly hear the words of the goddesses, or to eavesdrop on petty thieves._

She stood and began to creep away from the alley, attempting silence as best she could. Suddenly there was a loud _clink. _The princess took a sharp intake of air as she stumbled and looked down to see what caused the sound. At her feet lay a used glass bottle.

_Great. Betrayed by litter._ Complete silence reigned over everything a moment, the world itself waiting for something to happen. She froze and held that breath she took, afraid to make any further noise. Maybe they hadn't heard her.

"…Did you hear that?"

"…Yeah, ah did…"

She wanted to curse. But there was no time for that. Her legs burst into action as she pushed off the ground and sped away as fast as she could. She slipped around corners and didn't stop running till she was blended back into the market crowds.

"That was close." She muttered under her breath. Still, they hadn't seen her face to be sure, and she had her information. Or some of it.

It might've seemed silly, to run from those two when they were younger than her or around her age. But she knew full well that age didn't necessarily draw on skill, not to mention they were clearly the thieves the captain had heard about. Or at least… a couple of them. And no matter the age, thieves had their tricks.

They were most certainly talking about a gang, likely **the **gang she'd heard about, and their leader… The one they called "the King". She still didn't have as much information as she would've liked, but that was precisely why she was going to pin down the location of this "wolf-like" rock entrance. Then she could direct the information to the guards somehow and let them deal with it. _Maybe with an anonymous letter? They'd take that more seriously than if I told them myself, not to mention the questioning that would follow about how I knew if I did…_

The princess resolved to search Hyrule field later in the afternoon. That way, the two kids she had listened in on would have already passed through there themselves. There would be less risk of being spotted.

**_-oOo-_**

The sky glowed a bright range of red and orange hues as the sun began to slowly sink lower in the sky. Zelda stepped out into the vast fields surrounding the town. She intended to do nothing rash. Simply pin down the location of this mysterious base entrance, and then head back to the castle before it got dark.

She often spent calm afternoons wandering these fields, playing her ocarina, writing, singing or simply thinking by herself. When she had been younger she had a fond penchant for making flower crowns from the colourful flowers dotting the landscape. In doing so she had developed a fairly strong mind-map of the wide open "no-mans-land" between territories. It was certainly a place where the law ran wild, but that didn't excuse any breaking of the law in her kingdom.

The mind-map was created to help little Zelda remember where all the best flowers grew for her creations, and a similar sort of memory was retained to this day. She had pictured the rock they spoke of the moment she heard about it; it was where the best wild violets grew in their season. She checked some other landmarks along the way to be safe, but she had a pretty strong feeling that she knew which rock they were talking about.

As she approached the spot she was thinking of, the trees dotted a little closer together, creating a little shade and shelter for other creatures in the fields. Zelda had a nostalgic memory of peacefulness here, but something seemed tense. Other people had certainly been here many times since she was a little girl.

The grass had given up and receded into dry dirt around the boulder, suggesting that people had trodden on it's surface often. And recently. As she approached, Zelda drew her long dagger as an act of precaution. Or maybe just nerves. It's weight in her hand comforted her slightly, but she still felt on edge. And fair enough. _After all… There could be someone here any moment. _

Walking closer to the boulder, the princess made a small noise of wonder. It really did look like a sleeping wolf, with it's heavy grey head resting gently on stone paws, lying peacefully in eternal slumber. Her sharp light blue eyes spotted something scratched into it's side.

In weak but readable script, it read:

**_'The wolf loyally protects us, courageous; yet calm._**

**_For we are it's pack, and we will guard_**

**_The den from any harm._**

**_The faithful wolf welcomes those, whom it deems as 'friend'._**

**_But prove a foe and the wolf will wake-_**

**_And you will meet your end.'_**

Zelda stared quietly at the poem, refusing to let herself be afraid of the menacing threats laced within the graceful words. She gingerly felt the writing with her fingertips, trying to understand the riddle. Oh, and it was a riddle here, no doubts about that. It mostly came across as a warning, but it was almost as if there were instructions hidden there too.

_How curious. Surely the boulder is not the door? It would be too heavy to move, and there aren't any disturbances in the soil… _She continued to rub the carved words unconsciously as she thought. Dragging her eyes up from the text, she trailed her gaze across the stone creature, examining it's surface for any more clues. Sure enough, there were several squares on the wolf that protruded ever so slightly, cut out so it looked like you could press them in. She wondered if they were switches of some kind.

There was one in the center of the wolf's forehead, one on it's nose, three in a triangle formation on it's chest, and two in a line down it's back. She bit her lip and read the riddle again. If they were switches, then she figured it would be unwise to press one at random. She had a feeling that it had something to do with proving herself a "friend" or "foe" to the silent stone guardian. And she really didn't want to find out what happened to people it deemed unwelcome. She'd seen enough puzzle-like traps in her time to know it wouldn't be pretty. _Maybe I should just go and report-_

**_Snap._**

Zelda whipped her head around and jumped up to her feet as she heard the unmistakable sound of a twig being stepped on. Her dagger was held in front of her chest, ready to strike or defend. What had Impa always told her? _Always look behind you._

The small figure that stood before her looked up at her with wide, frightened eyes. She own orbs grazed over the child's form, and seeing no weapons at hand, lowered her own. Slightly.

"M-Miss? S-Sorry to startle you… I was wondering if you could help me find my Mama… W-We were out walking and I g-got lost… Would you please help me…?"

The small voice whimpered it's plea as the child crept closer to her. It was a little boy with long, yet scruffy hair, and big hazel eyes that looked almost fit to bursting with tears. Heart pounding from the fright, Zelda placed one hand to her chest and exhaled deeply. He didn't seem to be a threat, more so that he looked like a genuine lost kid genuinely looking for help.

It had been a long day.

She opened her eyes again once her heart beat had slowed, and tried to put on what she thought was a reassuring smile.

"Hey there. I won't hurt you… Does your mother live in Castle Town or were you visiting this area…?"

The little boy sniffed and rubbed his eyes.

"Can't remember… Too tired-sleepy from running… I saw someone strange following me, so I ran here…" He closed the distance between them as Zelda crouched down to one knee. He leant against her with his eyes fearful still, small fists grabbing bundles of her dress to support his legs. "So sleepy…"

The young blonde frowned. It didn't really help her if he didn't tell her if they were local or not, but she supposed it wouldn't matter. For now, in this instant, Zelda was much more worried about his story. The person following him was unlikely to be his mother, and it gave off all kinds of warning signs in her mind.

She glanced down at the child. He didn't seem to know who she was at any rate, not that it really counted for anything, other than that her disguise worked well. That or he was a visitor. The boy had leaned his entire body weight against her, causing her to wrap her arms around him gently.

"Would you like me to carry you back to the town? Maybe then we can find your Mama before the sun goes down, hm?" She murmured quietly, casting a quick worried look at the darkening skies. She had to get back before the gates closed, or else they'd be in trouble. Not to mention the stranger that was apparently walking around following young children in the near dark. The thought gave her shivers. The child nodded and Zelda tried to scoop him up and carefully carry him as she slowly made her way back through the small grove of trees.

She hadn't even taken five steps before she heard a low chuckle from behind the wolf-rock. The princess did a double-take in the direction of the sound, peering into the shadow of a nearby tree. A silhouette of a teenager around her age could be made out in the half darkness. Zelda took a step back in tangible fear, her nervousness only swelling when her eyes caught a cold glint of metal in the new strangers hand.

The other's voice floated over, carrying with it the sneer in his tone she couldn't see on his face. "I'd say you've been sticking' yer nose places wherein it don't belong girly…" The voice sounded familiar indeed. It suddenly struck her that it was the voice of the older thief she had eavesdropped on earlier that day. His way of speaking was not easily forgotten, and quick to recognize. Her suspicions were confirmed with what he said next. "It's _rude _to listen in on people's private conversations, don't ya think?"

Zelda hoped it wouldn't come to a fight. Maybe if she played it off as innocent then he'd let her and the younger child go without harm.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what you mean. I was just here to… to take my _little brother _home. Yeah, that's it! Just… Heading on back before I get in trouble. My- I mean_ our _father will be looking for us, as it's getting quite late. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Her voice wobbled slightly though she tried her best to make her own story sound believable.

The older boy laughed again, as if she'd been telling some great joke, but he got to the punchline before her. His head tilted as he played with the blade between his fingers.

"Sure, I mean… Yer right. It _is _gettin' quite late, ain't it? In fact… Don't you feel kinda _tired?"_

Zelda was not entirely sure why the boy put emphasis on those words exactly, but the tone of his voice was settling unease deep within her gut. "W-What do you mean?"

Almost as soon as the stammered words left her lips, the princess felt a sharp piercing pain in her side. She gasped and stared blankly ahead in shock. After a second her eyes drifted down to the child she had been carrying. Her gaze was met with a harsh glare, accompanied by a cruel smirk. The little boy tugged and the small needle of a blade came out of her abdomen. Grinning, he leapt out of her frozen arms with the agility one would expect of a youth his age. _Of course… The other boy from… the… alley…_

Zelda's brain began to slow, like time itself was coming to a stop. The world dimmed at the edges of her vision, eyelids closing and opening again with agonizing slowness as she fought to stay awake. One hand dragged itself to her wound and back into her fading field of vision. Red. And… black? Like ink…

She fell to her knees and barely felt it, her eyelids finally collapsing under their own weight, the world going dark as her heart slowed. With one last groan of pain and drugged sleepiness, she collapsed to the ground, the two boy's voices in pieces, echoing in her mind as she fell away from this world.

_ "Should've…. real poison…." _

_ "No, we'll take…. the King instead. He'll… what to do…"_


	3. Be Our Guest (Or Our Prisoner)

**-CHAPTER THREE-**

_ "Watch it! I think the drug is wearin' off…"_

Voices. Bleary eyes. Bright lights. Pounding head. Hands dragging her along. Things that didn't seem to add up. Maybe she could just… Go back to… Sleep…

"HEY! GIRL! Wake up already!"

Memories flooded back just before she felt a hand slap her reasonably sternly across the face. Zelda's eyes shot open. Her vision was swimming masses of colour and lights. Her head hurt. Her cheek stung. She forced herself to try ignore all these things and focus.

The slap was probably supposed to help with that. _Figures._ She tried moving her arms to rub her eyes, but found them locked together in place. Panic flared in her mind, as she thrashed against the steady hands that held her arms behind her. They weren't close enough for her to attack otherwise, and with two of them holding her like they were, she doubted she could easily break free.

"Be careful now, she's trying to fight back."

Fight back? She supposed that was what you could call the attempted flailing she was busying herself with. Her mind was still so foggy, it was difficult to think clearly. The panic surely didn't help with that either. Zelda stopped her struggling and attempted to calm herself down, breathing in and out slowly. In a situation like this one, her wit would be most useful. She couldn't lose it now to the waiting claws of blind terror. When she felt clearer in the head, she took a proper look at her surroundings.

They appeared to be walking (or in Zelda's case- half stumbling, half being shoved by the boys behind her) through a wide tunnel, lit only by several torches lining the path's dirt walls. The princess squinted in confusion. _A tunnel? A cave perhaps? No… No surface cave goes this far. I must be somewhere… under the ground._

The tunnel they walked through looked like a main corridor of sorts, with occasional holes in the sides that she could only assume led down other smaller side tunnels. As they walked, several dirty faces would sometimes peer at them from the various passages. Most of the faces were young, though there was an occasional scowling expression from an adult lurking about in the shadows. Zelda avoided all of their eyes. It was humiliating to be paraded like this to… _Goddesses_ knew where.

The young noble fumed silently. It would be best to go along with them for now, to see where all of this would lead. She wanted to struggle and fight more of course, if only to annoy them and make their job more difficult, but doing so would most likely make them angry or exhaust her. She couldn't risk that, she might need her strength in the future. The very _near_ future. Not to mention the very apparent lack of weaponry. Surprisingly, they hadn't tried to take the smaller blade from her boot. Perhaps they hadn't seen it. _Good. Now it's time to play the waiting game. _She set her jaw and walked on.

The main tunnel continued for a short while, torchlight flickering almost gently on the walls around them. Eventually it began to narrow into one singular pathway. Still Zelda's arms were held back in a lock, as she was marched forward into a sort of room. It was well lit, more so than the tunnels, and was rounded into more of a circular shape. It made her undeniably curious. Just what had she stumbled into? Her thoughts were cut short, and looking ahead, she noticed that there was a figure sitting on some sort of throne at the opposite end of the chamber.

"Hey King. Found _this _one lurking by th' wolf passage. Seems t' me we have a little mystery solver on our hands…" The older boy smirked. The younger one chirped in, "And she fell for my lost kid act pretty much instantly! What a-" He was silenced by a look from his senior, who then turned and pushed Zelda harshly forward, sending her sprawling into the middle of the room.

Falling to the hard earth with a _thump_, a scowl was still written plainly on her face. Directing her optic daggers towards her new captor, she found her hard expression fall away a little. Sitting upon his throne with all the arrogant airs a king of thieves would be expected to have, was a boy that looked to be around fourteen or fifteen. Her surprise at his age must have been apparent on her face, as he gave a short laugh. He had short, dirty blond hair that fell lazily over bright blue eyes. Eyes that were focused intently on her.

Her hand shifted slightly closer to her boot.

"Well, well, well. So you were trying to find our hideout then?" The blond teenager stood from his chair and strode over to where she had fallen. "…Well done to you! Looks like you found it."

A low snickering sounded from the boys behind her. The princess frowned. She wished that she could just go home. Everyone was probably really worried about her by now. The "King" took another step closer to her. Fear rose in her heart and was quickly replaced by anger. This boy didn't seem to have any weapons on his person… Unlike her.

"So did you get what you wanted, civilian? Or perhaps… You're more important than that, hm?" His last few words were murmured in a low tone, little more than a whisper to her and her alone. Was he suggesting… He knew who she was through her disguise? If her identity were to be revealed, she would be in even more danger… If that was even possible. Thankfully, the blond boy didn't seem to say anything more on the matter.

Zelda's fingers twitched slightly, intent eyes never once breaking with the teenager getting closer and closer to her. She didn't know exactly why they had brought her down here, but it surely couldn't be good.

Their leader took one more step and Zelda leapt into action. Snagging her fingers around the handle of her hidden blade, she whipped it up out of her boot and jumped to her feet in one move. Less than a second more passed and just like that she found herself pointing the knife at his throat. His bold smirk faded as his hands slowly rose into the air, a spark of surprise and perhaps even fear flashed in his eyes, before the curtains came down, and she was faced with a stone-cold expression that gave nothing away.

A slight gasp came from the two boys behind her. It seemed no one expected some random girl to know how to fight. Not many girls did, with few people willing to teach them these days. Silently thanking Impa for teaching her such techniques, her grip tightened on the knife's handle. She wasn't _really_ very good at fighting yet, but perhaps she wouldn't need to, seeing as she already given them all a fright.

"A-Alright. You've all had your fun, but I've had enough. Now… Don't make any sudden movements, or I'll…" Her words fell short.

"You'll what?" The older of the two boys behind her smirked, all signs of shock gone. They may not have expected her to pull out a blade, but they certainly didn't seem to believe she'd do anything with it. She turned her head away from their "King" to stare him right in the eyes.

"…Or I'll… I'll seriously wound him!" She glared at the two boys with what she thought was a resolute expression. Zelda would really rather not hurt anyone, despite how they treated her, and would honestly just rather that her threat scared them enough to grant her freedom. And _then _she could turn them all in to the guards. A small smile curled her lips at the thought of that. That'd surely teach them a thing or two, right?

Zelda whipped her head back around as she heard a low chuckle.

"Now, how are you going to do that… Without your little weapon?"

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Zelda looked at her hand to find the knife gone and in it's place, she held a simple twig.

Her mouth fell open slightly, her arm lowering. "How… How in the name of Nayru did you do that?"

The boy laughed. It was genuine mirth this time, he seemed to find her confusion amusing. Zelda found him annoying. The boy briefly examined the small blade before tucking it away in his belt. "I don't see why we should let you go so easily. You came to us, and Farore knows we wouldn't want you running off to tell the guards about this place now, would we?" The words he spoke were quiet and calm, so much so that it wouldn't seem like he was talking about keeping her here.

"I _won't_ be your prisoner."

There was that crooked smile again. There was something eerily familiar about it, something Zelda could not _for the life of her_ put her finger on. "Of course not. I wouldn't use such a harsh word. I'd say… More of a new recruit, hm?"

Zelda glared at him. "What do you mean?" Speaking slowly, the question hung in the air. She didn't like where this was going.

"I mean it would be a shame to waste any talent. I will speak with you later on this. For now… Rorrick. Tobi. Please escort our guest to an empty room. I have some things to sort out first, and I don't want her running around causing trouble, got it?" The final question was not posed at the boys, but at her. _Don't cause trouble. _

The older boy, the one he had called Rorrick pulled her to her feet. As she was steered out of the room, Zelda cast a quick glance over her shoulder. The blonde teenager caught her eyes for a moment. There was some sort of message hidden there, as an almost sorry expression stared back at her. She answered it with a cold look and turned away, holding her head as high as she could, trying to maintain some tiny scrap of pride as she was taken away.

**-oOo-**

The room Zelda had been thrown in was not at all what she imagined. In her head, she had feared a cold, dank, hole of a room that shared more likeness to a prison cell. The room she stood in was… actually fairly well furnished. For a dug out dirt hovel. But with the woven mats covering the floor and the occasional piece of furniture, one could almost forget that it was underground at all… Or that for Zelda, it was a cage. Rorrick and Tobi had shoved her (a little more gently this time) into the room and locked the door with a click.

She had spent a while beating at the door with all her strength, shouting demands and empty threats like anyone was listening until she could scream no more. Sitting herself down on the bed, Zelda supposed there was nothing she could do now, but wait for their "King" to visit her here. He had said he would explain. Zelda decided there was nothing _to _explain. She wanted to go home, and that was that!

She had to admit though, the boy had stayed true to his word about treating her like a "guest". The room contained a comfortable bed with a colourful handmade quilt covering it, a series of wooden planks inserted into the earthy walls in a way that created shelves, a small table and chest of drawers- probably stolen. The young noble crossed her arms with a huff and turned to face the wall, using all her concentration in an attempt to burn a hole in it with her eyes.

It felt like hours had passed. There was no way to tell the time in this beautiful and cosy prison. All the quilts in the world could not make the princess of Hyrule feel any more welcome, or safe. She was alone. She was trapped. And she was starting to feel her anger give way to fear. Feeling a tear trailing down her cheek, the princess brushed it away quickly and sniffed. She didn't _want _to be here. She hadn't _planned _for things to turn out this way. Her fingers moved to drag themselves through her golden hair, gripping it as she leaned over and fought to control the tears from getting to her. This was not the time for crying. She had been through much worse than this, right? The hero wouldn't cry, the hero-

_No._

_It couldn't be._

The hero… Blue eyes, as clear as the waters of the great lake. A messy mop of dirty blond hair that would never sit still. That crooked smile that had so often brought her joy, so often brightened her days when she felt like she was just a princess to everyone, and nothing else. That grin that made her feel like she was a person. Zelda had not seen Link for… it must be years now. Four, if she remembered correctly. Zelda sat up suddenly, her eyes wide and her gaze sharp as her mind began to connect the dots.

Almost as if on cue, there was a clicking sound from her door and it slowly creaked open, the "King" himself stepping through and closing the door behind him. Zelda tensed once more. The boy shook his head slowly and remained where he stood, not making any attempts to get closer to her. _Good,_ Zelda thought bitterly, _Without a blade I could still make him sorry…_

The boy's soft blue orbs rose to meet with Zelda's ireful gaze as he rubbed the back of his head and sighed. Then, in a voice that sounded a mixture of pity, and anxiety, he spoke.

"I'll… Get right to the chase. I know who you are, princess. My people however, do not. So… So you're safe here for now, alright?" The whole while he was speaking, the blond boy's eyes remained resolute, and fixed on Zelda's own. Looking into them again, the young noble could see she was certainly not mistaken in her fears. Finally understanding, Zelda stood.

"You know who I am. Funny. I know who _you _are. Or at least… Who you used to be, _hero." _She practically spat the word at his feet, the way his expression twisted at her words. He recoiled, like he had been hit in the chest, and slowly crossed his arms. Those eyes she used to find happiness in, darkened with thoughts only he could hear.

"Don't call me that," The boy turned his head away slightly, "That's not who I am. Not anymore…"

Zelda looked at her old friend with eyes filled with hurt, and disgust. "You're right. That's _not _who you've become. You don't DESERVE to be called a hero! I…" Her voice cut off as she gripped her hair and made a sound of pure frustration, before she began to shout again. "I can't believe you would do this Link! To the kingdom! To the people you once saved! To… Me, even!" That did it. Whatever she had said, it had hit him hard. His head snapped back around to face her, his calm expression turning into one of pain.

"_Don't you dare talk to me about what I deserve…_" The tone in Link's voice was quiet and cold, dangerous even. Even in the enraged state that she was in, Zelda found herself taking a step back in surprise. Link continued, "The people here don't even know I saved them. I was always just a vagabond to them… You don't understand. You…" Link shook his head, his voice growing softer, and less of a growl. "You were the one who got yourself into this mess, Zelda. You had to get nosy, didn't you? I knew it was you the moment I saw you… I wouldn't forget- Anyway... I saved you from them by hiding your identity. People here aren't too fond of people in power."

"I still don't… You said that you would explain why you were keeping me here. Why can't you just let me go home?" Zelda's voice was meek, almost like a whimper despite herself.

Another sigh. "Because my loyalty is here. To these people. I banded them together when they had nothing. When their lives had no purpose. I gave them that purpose, and made them a family. That's… That's also why so many of them are young. They had no parents or caregivers to turn to, and I took them in. Taught them… certain skills." He looked away, his faded gold hair falling to shelter his eyes. "I can't betray them. Letting you go now, even if you swore secrecy Zelda, would be doing just that." Link looked back at her with a hopeful sort of look. "I wasn't lying before either… I could use your skills here, seeing as we cannot let you go."

Zelda couldn't stop herself. The thought of being trapped here, knowing her old friend was now an enemy of her own kingdom… The tears let themselves run. The young blonde fell back to sit on the bed and covered her eyes with her hands as she wept. There was no other sound for a moment, before she heard Link cross the distance between them and tentatively place a hand on her shoulder. "Zelda… I… I am sorry. Really I am… It's just…" She heard him let out a long, tired breath. She sniffed and took away her hands, her small voice answering for him.

"Everything's just… so different now…"

There was another long pause. Link removed his hand from her shoulder and stepped back, holding it out instead. Surprised, Zelda looked up to see that crooked smile played anxiously on the boy's lips.

"Come on. Let me show you around. Let me… Show you it doesn't have to be all bad… Okay?"

She stared at his hand like it was something strange and new, briefly wondering how many lost people he had given a similar speech to, before wiping her eyes and standing. She didn't take his hand, but gave Link a small, uncertain nod. He answered it with a wider smile, and led her out of the room.

**:Author's Note:**

**Hey guys, here I am again! I know it's been a while, and I'll admit, I almost gave up on this story. I felt there were too many holes, that I wasn't doing a good enough job... But I decided to push through it. I'll learn by writing more anyway. I will revise my plot, and fill in holes as best I can, including the disappearance of certain villainous characters. The way the time travel worked in this story is slightly different to the canon, which I was not aware of at the time. So bear with me, as I briefly explain. When I played OOT, I liked to think that Zelda didn't just send Link back, but the whole world reset, i.e: Zelda is aware of the events and is the same Zelda, just young again, like Link. I understand now this creates some problems with the timeline, but I will do my best to patch it all together. I'm too far in to fix it now, so we shall simply roll with it, alright? Fiction is made to be twisted to a degree, anyway :) Think of it as an alternate timeline, if that makes it easier.**


	4. Continue? (A Notice About This Story)

**:Author's Note:**

**Hello there! Eissi here. I know I haven't been the best at updating this story, but I've been thinking a lot about this fic. Basically the problem I have with this story is that I have too many problems with my writing and where I was going with this. I thought I had an idea for the course of this tale, but I decided that I don't like that path anymore. I don't think the plot, or the setting, or my writing level or even the characters and their purpose here. I still like the main idea of this story; that Link is the leader of a gang of thieves, but I am not carrying it out in a way that I like.**

**TL;DR I am going to be dropping this story. But I won't be dropping the idea. I would like to rewrite this story, but it will be VERY different to this one. It will share similar things, since it's a rewrite, but basically... Nothing is working. So, I will leave this notice up for a while, but then I will delete this fic and start again some time in the future. If you liked this, keep an eye out or follow me, as the rewrite may not have the same title as King of Thieves.**

**Thank you for your patience and for supporting me, but I just don't think I can continue this story this way. Just... Pretend you never read it, okay? It'll be better the next time around, if I get to writing it again.**


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